The present invention relates in general to walking assistance devices and in particular to apparatus for stabilizing walking aids when a user travels over compressible and uneven areas and substances.
Canes, crutches, walkers and other walking aids are commonly used to assist a person in walking. When using such a device, the person relies upon the device to stabilize or balance himself as he travels in a forward direction using his natural legs to achieve forward movement.
Because the ground contacting portion(s) thereof provide only small, generally flat ground engaging surface areas, persons using conventional walking aids often experience difficulty due to the substantial amount of manual dexterity and balance that are required to manipulate the devices. These problems are exacerbated when one uses the walking aid to navigate treacherous surfaces. For slippery surfaces such as ice, it has been proposed to provide the bottom of the walking assistance device with spiked or pointed ground engaging means that, because of the very small surface areas at their tips, tend to penetrate the ice for enhanced traction. Examples of such equipment is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,177,884; 4,434,808 and 5,433,234.
However, spiked ground engagement means are of limited use in promoting the stability of walking aids in snow, sand and other compressible or uneven areas and substances. For conventional canes, crutches and other walking assistance devices, such terrain can be as difficult to traverse for the physically impaired as icy surfaces. Standard walking aids and walking aids with spiked ground engagement means can sink deeply into such surfaces which can destabilize even a person prepared for the potential danger.
Others have proposed apparatus that serve to enlarge the surface contacting areas of canes, crutches and the like for use on snow, sand and other soft or hazardous surfaces. Examples of such devices are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,098,283; 4,899,771; 5,307,828; 5,713,382; 6,003,533 and 6,164,306. Among these, however, only the device described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,283 provides openings to permit the passage of snow or wet sand, mud or earth which could otherwise clog the device in use. Nevertheless, the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,283 requires modification of and permanent attachment to the bottom of the resilient rubber or plastic cap that is typically located at the bottom of a cane or crutch. Thus, to use the device, the user must remove the existing walking aid cap and then physically attach the device to the cap (or otherwise acquire such a device preassembled onto a standard cap) and then reinstall the modified cap onto the bottom of the walking aid. When he chooses not to use it, he must remove the modified cap and replace it with another standard walking aid cap. The modified walking aid cap would thus essentially serve as a substitute for the standard cap, whereby the user may choose and attach the desired cap to the walking aid as circumstances dictate. It will be appreciated that replacement of one cap with another can be frustrating and difficult for physically weak or disabled persons that must overcome the significant friction that retains the typical resilient cap on the bottom of a conventional cane or crutch. Moreover, the cap of the apparatus taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,283 has a fixed internal diameter and can only work with canes, crutches or other walking aids having a corresponding outer diameter. If the walking aid is not of standard circumferential dimensions, the cap may be too small or too large to fit the walking aid.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,284 proposes a walking aid tip assembly that can be used on both ice and snow. The assembly comprises a central spiked member for assisting the user in traversing ice and an annular flexible foot member surrounding the central spiked member that assists the user in traversing softer surfaces. The flexible member is movable between an operative ground engaging position and an inoperative position. The assembly can only be used with hollow walking aids and requires a latching device located internally of the hollow walking aid to fasten the assembly to the walking aid and to enable the flexible member to be moved between its operative and inoperative positions. The internal latching device can only be removed with difficulty. And, when the assembly is removed from the walking aid, the open bottom of the walking aid is unprotected. In such condition, the hollow walking aid cannot be used without exposing its open bottom end to clogging with dirt or possible damage. In addition, the flexible foot member has no apertures for preventing clogging when the device is used on snow or wet sand, mud or earth.
An advantage exists therefore for a walking aid stabilizing apparatus that is useful for stabilizing walking aids when a user in travels over compressible and uneven areas and substances.
A further advantage exists for a walking aid stabilizing apparatus which may be quickly and easily attached to and detached from the exterior of existing hollow or solid walking aids, such as canes, crutches, walkers, or the like, having standard and non-standard diameters or circumferential shapes.
A further advantage exists for a walking aid stabilizing apparatus including ground engagement means that may be quickly and easily disposed into a first operative ground engaging position and a second inoperative position.
A further advantage exists for a walking aid stabilizing apparatus including ground engagement means having perforated areas to permit the passage of snow or wet sand, mud or earth which could otherwise clog the ground engagement means in use.
The present invention provides a walking aid stabilizing apparatus that is useful for stabilizing walking aids when a user in travels over compressible and uneven areas and substances. The stabilizing apparatus comprises means for enabling the apparatus to be quickly and easily attached to an detached from the exterior of solid or hollow walking aids, such as canes, crutches, walkers, or the like, having standard and non-standard diameters or circumferential shapes. The apparatus further includes ground engagement means that may be quickly and easily disposed into a first operative ground-engaging position and a second inoperative position, as well as means for disposing the ground engagement means into the first operative position and the second inoperative position. According to a presently preferred embodiment, the ground engagement means has perforated areas to permit the passage of snow or wet sand, mud or earth which could otherwise clog the ground engagement means in use.
Other details, objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description of the presently preferred embodiments and presently preferred methods of practicing the invention proceeds.